Grace Dlabik is the founder of BE. ONE Creative (a creative agency) and BE. Collective - two hubs in the BE. ecosystem that exists to empower and platform creatives of colour. As well as being a creative director, community leader, mentor and advocate, Grace is also a mother. She and her son Elijah have a formidable partnership, and their relationship has been the guiding force in her life for nearly two decades. Elijah is a wheelchair user and in the 18 years of his life, they have never lived ...
Aug 20, 2021•46 min•Ep. 52
Pip Newell was still at university when she accidentally started Curated Spaces after re-selling some dining chairs to a local Facebook group with great success. While she was getting by on a mish-mash of nannying and hospitality jobs on the side of a photography degree, the online world had quietly heralded a new age for vintage furniture. With a natural flair for styling and a sincere joy for hunting the internet for new finds, Pip would go on to completely redefine the vintage furniture selli...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 51
Elle has been in the Australian fashion industry for over thirty years, moving from Cherry Lane to Myer and Sportsgirl before her landing her current job. She's been shaping fashion (and you!) in ways you probably didn't even realise. SO, what is involved in transitioning one of the biggest retailers in the country towards ambitious new sustainability standards? And how exactly DO you guide a whole team through a global pandemic? Elle answers all these questions and more in this excellent conver...
Jul 23, 2021•52 min•Ep. 50
Jirra Lulla Harvey is a Koorie woman and the founder of Kalinya Communications, an Aboriginal-owned communications agency working with First Nations businesses. In this inspiring chat, she talks about aligning Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary business, Aboriginal entrepreneurship, and her new venture - Kalinya Retreats.
Jul 09, 2021•44 min•Ep. 49
From podcasting to interior design, editing the ‘Style’ section of Inside Out to food styling in the Italian Alps (!), Jono has worked in nearly every corner of the interiors biz. Or so he thought. When the pandemic hit last year and he was thinking of ways to pivot, he launched his own affordable art business to sell the vintage-inspired prints. Now with Palette by Jono Fleming added to his repertoire, the super stylist seems like an unstoppable force in the interiors world! In this super fun c...
Jun 25, 2021•38 min•Ep. 48
There's something special about Bobby Clark . Originally from a small town in Scotland, Bobby arrived in Melbourne ten years ago - and swiftly immersed herself in Melbourne's vibrant creative scene. With the optimism and dogged determination of a new immigrant, Bobby worked unbelievably hard at a huge array of creative jobs (from house painter, to wedding photographer!) before she launched her own solo art practice in 2016, with nothing but an Instagram account, and a Squarespace website. In the...
Jan 29, 2021•59 min•Ep. 47
Jenna Holmes wears many hats. Despite having been both a photographer, a PE teacher and an Uber driver in previous lives, right now, her career revolves around plants... and pasta! As the co-founder of plant styling business Plant Mama , and Pasta Mama pasta club, Jenna is a prolific, and impossibly versatile creative. Both Jenna's businesses live on one colourful website, which she built herself, using Squarespace . In this podcast conversation, Jenna talks candidly about her experience of buil...
Jan 15, 2021•43 min•Ep. 46
Gina Lasker is one of Melbourne's most talented independent florists, with an intuitive, layered and textural approach to floral installation. She's worked in the floral game for more than a decade, assisting a number of established florists in both Melbourne and Sydney, before opening her own floral studio, Georgie Boy, in 2015. Georgie Boy initially launched with a portfolio website, built using Squarespace . But earlier this year, when lockdown restrictions seriously affected Gina's business,...
Dec 17, 2020•29 min•Ep. 45
Tantri Mustika originally trained as a hairdresser, and spent a decade cutting hair, before she accidentally discovered ceramics. That was just four years ago! Like so many creative start-ups in the Instagram age, Tantri’s brand was launched with a simple website and online store. Fast forward to today, and Tantri is one of Melbourne’s most successful ceramicists, with a loyal following of collectors Australia-wide, and her very own dream studio + retail store. In this podcast conversation, we c...
Dec 04, 2020•37 min•Ep. 44
Award winning interior designer Mim Fanning shares her journey, from solo design consultant, to Founder and Principal at Mim Design, her award-winning design studio. Mim Fanning launched her business 20 years ago, and over time, Mim Design has expanded to become one of Australia’s leading interior design studios. Recognised nationally and internationally, the studio’s diverse portfolio spans hospitality, residential and commercial interiors, always favouring timeless design over fleeting trends....
Oct 15, 2020•40 min•Ep. 43
In episode 42 of TDF Talks, Lucy has a conversation with interior designer, educator, serial renovator, reality TV star and Mum of two, Jenna Densten. Jenna is perhaps best known for her stint on The Block alongside her husband Josh... but, that was WAY back in 2011, and Jenna has done so much since then! These days, Jenna runs her design consultancy, Bicker Design, along with Design School, offering accredited courses in Interior Decoration. Recently, she's launched a brand new Online Mastercla...
Mar 02, 2020•40 min•Ep. 42
Cassie Byrnes has got the IT factor. The young designer (and new Mum!) only finished her studies five years ago, but she's already kicked some seriously impressive career goals. In addition to running her own much-loved fashion label, Variety Hour, Cassie has worked on a number of high profile collaborations and international projects, including with massive US brand Anthropologie, and more recently with Nike, to produce an incredible collection for the recent Australian Open – which was worn by...
Feb 13, 2020•49 min•Ep. 41
Donna Hay is a household name both here and overseas, having edited her self-titled magazine for 17 years, reaching subscribers in 82 countries around the world. Over the past 20 years, she has also authored 27 best-selling cookbooks, selling over six million copies worldwide, and has hosted TV series screened in over 17 countries. It was such a pleasure to chat with Donna about the incredible rise of her brand over the past 20 years. We learnt that Donna actually isn’t a big goal setter, nor mu...
Nov 30, 2019•39 min•Ep. 40
Clare Bowditch is an ARIA award-winning singer, songwriter, actress, storyteller, educator and mother of three. And this month, she’s added ‘author’ to that impressive list of credentials! Following on from Ashe Davenport’s insightful interview with Clare for our Family column last week, today the radiant songstress herself makes an appearance on our podcast! She chatted to Lucy about making it in the music biz, keeping the magic alive with her husband and long time collaborator, Marty Brown, an...
Nov 07, 2019•59 min•Ep. 39
The magazine industry around the world, but particularly in Australia, is a notoriously hard market to succeed in. So when someone has created not one, but TWO successful publications, you know it's about more than just a bit of good fortune. Lou Bannister is one-half of the brains behind Frankie magazine, and more recently, Lunch Lady magazine, an indie darling beloved by parents all over! In this episode of TDF Talks, Lucy chats with Lou about following her intuition, building community, and h...
Oct 24, 2019•39 min•Ep. 38
Tyrone Wright, otherwise known at Rone, is a bit of an enigma. This isn't all that surprising, considering the multifaceted creative cut his teeth as a street artist, who are pretty good at keeping quiet behind-the-scenes while their public-facing work does all the talking. Over the past few years, though, Rone has taken his projects to the next level. After his epic RONE Empire project earlier this year, it doesn’t feel totally accurate to describe him as simply an artist, or a street artist. H...
Oct 14, 2019•44 min•Ep. 37
Ken Done is one of Australia's most well-known artists, and an absolute creative icon in this country. Last week Ken was in Melbourne as a judge for the TDF Design Awards (where he gave a particularly memorable speech!), and the morning after Lucy visited him in his suite at the Adelphi Hotel in Flinders Lane to record this podcast. In their conversation Ken reflects on his long career, how art in Australia has evolved, and what he's learned about the business of being an artist. Find links and ...
Sep 26, 2019•43 min•Ep. 36
Kemi Nekvapil is an ICF-accredited life coach, a brilliant speaker, and also a 'Dare to Lead' facilitator – spreading constructive ideas on leadership and vulnerability across Australia. Lucy recently sat down with Kemi in her Brunswick East home, to talk about how a disempowered childhood in foster care led to life coaching (and what that actually is!) and to garner some of her brilliant advice on leadership, and how to create a life well-lived! Find links and other show notes at https://thedes...
Sep 12, 2019•45 min•Ep. 35
Sasha Titchkosky is the co-founder of Australian-made furniture, lighting and homewares brand Koskela, which she launched with her husband Russell Koskela, in 2000. Koskela aren’t your typical furniture company. This is a business with a strong moral compass, and a vision to offer intelligent design, with a low impact on the environment, and a positive impact on humanity. This month, Koskela celebrates ten incredible years of social impact work with Indigenous communities across Australia. The p...
Aug 29, 2019•46 min•Ep. 34
Jefa Greenaway is a Wailwan/Kamilaroi man, and he’s the first architect of an indigenous background to be registered in Victoria. He runs his own practice, Greenaway Architects, where he leads a team of 10 people. he’s also the Co-founder of Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria (IADV), and he’s an academic and a lecturer at the University of Melbourne. In this conversation, Jefa discusses the importance of indigenous participation in the Australian architecture and design community, and t...
Aug 16, 2019•49 min•Ep. 33
An incredibly inspiring creative entrepreneur, over the past few years, Jeremy Wortsman has been an invaluable mentor to us at The Design Files. In fact, when we first launched this podcast, Jeremy Worstman was our go-to, advising on everything we needed to know to bring a podcast to life! The founder of illustration agency The Jacky Winter Group, Lamington Drive gallery and JWGYTB podcast as well as host of Creative Mornings' Melbourne Chapter, he charts building community around his businesses...
Aug 01, 2019•56 min•Ep. 32
Penelope Seidler is so accomplished, her list of professional achievements is almost impossible to summarise succinctly! She’s an architect and an accountant, she's a member of the National Gallery of Australia Foundation Board, has been a director of Biennale of Sydney since 2010, and sits on the board of the Institute of Architects Foundation in Sydney. She was deputy commissioner for the Australian Pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale, and has been a member of the International Council of the...
Jul 18, 2019•44 min•Ep. 31
We've arrived at our 30th episode of TDF Talks, and I'm thrilled to conclude our third season with blogger, author, entrepreneur, global adventurer, and super mum-of-five, Courtney Adamo! I never cease to be inspired by Courtney’s incredible drive and her adventurous spirit. She’s built a truly remarkable online community, on her own terms. It was so wonderful to sit in her beautiful home in Bangalow recently to chat about the next chapter in her journey. Find links and other show notes at https...
Jun 13, 2019•52 min•Ep. 30
Since accepting his position as the Director of the National Gallery of Victoria in 2012, Tony Ellwood has been responsible for a major overhaul of the NGV's programming, marketing and special projects. He has led a diverse and significant program of world-class exhibitions and events over the last seven years, transforming the NGV into the most-visited gallery in Australia. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Tony earlier this month, and capture this inspiring podcast conversa...
May 30, 2019•45 min•Ep. 29
Justine Cullen is a multi-award-winning magazine editor. After an illustrious career working at various tiles including Girlfriend , Marie Claire and Shop 'Til You Drop , and Jones magazine, where she’s now editor-in-chief. In this podcast, Lucy chats to this trailblazing editor and mum-of-four about her career highlights, the challenges facing Australian fashion, and the age-old career-vs-family juggle. Find links and other show notes at https://thedesignfiles.net/podcast...
May 17, 2019•52 min•Ep. 28
Her humble little eco-conscious cup has taken the entire world by storm, and today we have the privilege of picking this exceptional businesswoman's brain! Find links and other show notes at https://thedesignfiles.net/podcast
May 02, 2019•43 min•Ep. 27
It was so cool to sit down in front of a live audience last week with Paul West, the chef-turned-farmer, sustainable living advocate, and hugely popular host of River Cottage Australia. Paul had the whole audience in the palm of his hand, as he tracked his atypical career path, and shared his ideas on living a more fulfilling, sustainable life. Find links and other show notes at https://thedesignfiles.net/podcast
Apr 18, 2019•59 min•Ep. 26
Before Peter Maddison sprung onto our screens as the host of Grand Designs Australia, he had a long and illustrious career as an architect. In this chat he reflects on his career from, failing his HSC to landing that incredible TV gig, and what it’s actually like filming the show six months of the year whilst running his own successful architecture practice. A candid conversation recorded live at Mercedes me Store Melbourne, it comes with a little language warning! Find links and other show note...
Apr 04, 2019•51 min•Ep. 25
For 25 years, Paul Bangay has created the most incredible, elegant and timeless gardens across Australia and the world! Over the course of his career, this Medal of the Order of Australia recipient has authored 10 books, the latest of which, Small Garden Design is out next month. We sat down with Paul in his studio in Cremorne, Melbourne, where we discussed his incredibly successful career, the mentors who have inspired him along the way, the creation of his own impossibly beautiful garden at St...
Mar 21, 2019•33 min•Ep. 24
David Bromley is one of Australia’s most well-known artists, and his distinctive paintings are instantly recognisable. He’s a six-time finalist in the Archibald Prize. And amongst his prolific output, he has painted celebrities including Miranda Kerr, Kylie Minogue and Lily Allen, to name a few. But, as we discover, David really is much more than just an artist... Find links and other show notes at https://thedesignfiles.net/podcast
Mar 07, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 23
